'amalgam' definitions:

Definition of 'amalgam'

From: WordNet
noun
An alloy of mercury with another metal (usually silver) used by dentists to fill cavities in teeth; except for iron and platinum all metals dissolve in mercury and chemists refer to the resulting mercury mixtures as amalgams [syn: amalgam, dental amalgam]
noun
A combination or blend of diverse things; "his theory is an amalgam of earlier ideas"